There's a new Marc in town

For those of you with fashion infused in your heart and soul, you may be familiar with Marc Jacobs, an iconic fashion designer who I am in love with due to his amazing purse collection. The classic Q Hillier sound familiar?

But let’s get to the point, shall we?

This past week, I figured that taking a gander through TJ Maxx wouldn’t be a bad idea. I was going in with the mission plan of finding new jeans, possibly J Brand Jeans… However, browsing turned into more browsing and I quickly found myself surrounded by thick winter coats. I was encompassed in pea coat pizzazz, until I noticed one lonely little leather jacket in the middle of all of the pea coat madness. An Andrew Marc leather jacket. So this Marc is in no relation to my purse master Marc Jacobs?

Andrew Marc- who is that?

Now I may be a bit naive due to the fact that I claim to love fashion but had never heard of Andrew Marc. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that I’d seen the name in ads. Why hadn’t I picked up on this fashion maven before?
Simple and brilliantly designed, the leather jacket had the ceiling lights at TJ Maxx glowing upon its rebel radiance. It was marked to $99. Now that didn’t seem like a ridiculously high price- at least for a leather jacket! That’s actually a steal! But if you put two and two together- college student + $99 leather jacket. It just didn’t add up. At this point in time, I’m practically penniless, awaiting my retail check.

Needless to say, I can now connect that fabulous leather jacket with the name Andrew Marc. In fact, after some Andrew Marc research, I came to find that there are many other wonderful pieces that his line offers. And to think I had managed to skip over Andrew Marc ads in my Elle magazine in the past.
Now that I am aware of Andrew Marc and his defined “look”- I will surely be looking into his clothing line even more when that next paycheck arrives. So thank you TJ Maxx for helping me find last season’s hidden treasure.
That being said, my gift to you today is to introduce Andrew Marc and his fabulous luxury designs so that you can keep him on your radar.

Because- let’s face it- we’ve been missing out on that other Marc.

This leather jacket is from the 2010 Andrew Marc collection; however it is very similar to the one that I found at TJ Maxx from his collection last year!  You can find this and many more pieces like it at http://www.andrewmarc.com/ !

photo courtesy: Andrewmarc.com

Bag it with Hobos

    

Hobo bags have not only been a great grab, but a celebrity favorite as well. Time and time again, stars are seen perusing the Hollywood streets with their best friend, hobo, at their side, and by hobo I mean an oversized fully capable purse. Isn’t the idea just sweet? For stars like Emily Blunt and Mary-Kate Olsen, hobos are an essential.

So why are they called hobos? That doesn’t sound very chic. Hobo purses received their name because of their distinct shape seeming similar to the wrap or bindle hung at the end of a hobo’s traveling stick.

I have always been a lover of hobos, but this past week- that love blossomed into a radiant obsession. After running a few errands, I managed to stumble upon a simple hobo at my local Maurices that cost me a humbling $10. Got to love anything for that price? Right? Wrong. I have purchased numerous “finds” time after time- only to realize that I wasted my money, but not this time. This hobo actually serves a purpose. Smoothly textured, and magnetic at the opening, its get-up-and-go persona is more than enough to sooth my sweet tooth for purses. Unfortunately there was only one left; however I was so honored as to snag it myself. I would definitely deem $10 as an appropriate college student steal.

When I had actually approached the counter to purchase my find, I had mentioned to the cashier that my new hobo looked similar to that of a Marc Jacobs, modish, simple, and unpretentious. She just smiled and said “yes”. This thought provoked me to look up designer finds that are similar to mine. Just because I spent $10, doesn’t mean I can’t flaunt my new hobo like it’s $850, right?

Check out some of my designer finds below and visit their links if you want to take a closer look. Last time I checked, hobos weren’t going out of style. Better yet- see if you can find a steal like mine and e-mail me a picture- or tell me about it!

New rule. Always keep a hobo by your side, literally.

Photo courtesy: C Hendrickson

The Designer Finds-

MARC JACOBS

 To the left is the Classic Q Hillier Hobo.  $398

                                   To the right is the Q49 Hillier Hobo.  $428

ALEXANDER WANG

The Darcy Slouchy Textured Leather Hobo.  $850

KOOBA

The Leila Belted Hobo.  $595

Photo courtesy:  marcjacobs.com, shopkooba.com, alexanderwang.com